India Narrative

  In sanctioning the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), the United States has launched a precision strike against the Beijing-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), adding another layer to the growing animosity between the world’s largest and second largest economy. The CCCC is the spearhead of BRI — a trans-continental connectivity undertaking, meant to anchor China’s rise as an unrivalled great power. The giant enterprise and its subsidiaries are known for taking up massive infrastructure projects, including port development, in highly strategic corners of the globe. But China’s state-owned behemoth, has also courted controversy, ranging from pushing vulnerable countries in the Global South into a debt trap on the behest of the Communist Party of China, to causing environment harm in fragile ecological zones. china news The CCCC made headlines when its subsidiary, the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), became the face of – what feasibility studies had already w...

  Condolence messages continued to pour in from all over the world on the demise of Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman who died after fighting a four-year battle with colon cancer, earlier today. His Avenger co-stars including, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Pratt led the tributes on social media. According to an official statement from the actor’s representatives, Boseman was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016. The actor died at home in Los Angeles, with his wife and family members by his side. “All I have to say is the tragedies amassing this year have only been made more profound by the loss of #ChadwickBoseman. What a man, and what an immense talent. Brother, you were one of the all-time greats and your greatness was only beginning. Lord love ya. Rest in power, King,” tweeted Mark Ruffalo, Hulk actor, and Boseman’s Marvel Universe co-star “I’m absolutely devastated. This is beyond heartbreaking. Chadwick was special. A true original. He was a deeply committe...

  Fashion designer Masaba Gupta says even after spending 11 years in the fashion industry, she is questioned about her parents and the events of 1988, but she has made her peace with it. “I have to say that I used to really enjoy reading blind items until it became about me. I think that’s the nature of the human mind that the minute something happens to you, or you have an experience, you change your viewpoint about it, and you are kinder to people. You don’t speculate that much,” Masaba told IANS while talking about how she learned to live under public scrutiny, and the culture of blind items. “I think I was born in controversy. I get questions about this, that, my parents etc. Till today, after being in fashion for 11 years, it eventually boils down to my parents, and what had happened back in 1988. I’ve made my peace with it,” added the designer, who was born to actress Neena Gupta after she had a brief relationship with former West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards in the 80s....

  Imran Khan may have handled many precarious situations on a cricket field but it is perhaps for the first time that he is jittery on the political pitch. The mere thought of Pakistan getting blacklisted by the global terror-financing watchdog, the Finance Action Task Force (FATF) is freaking him out. Thus, it is not very surprising that, besides the opposition, he is also blaming India for giving him sleepless nights. As it is said, the mark of maturity is when you stop blaming others for your problems. However, expecting maturity from a rogue state would be akin to expecting a decent government there; they thrive on peddling lies. Sometimes though, they also sense the impending disaster — like the consequences of FATF blacklisting — and that is when the truth comes out. “People talk about inflation now. If we are placed on the blacklist, we will experience inflation that would ruin our economy, the country would face destruction,” said Khan, the  kaptaan  of ‘ naya ...

  One more Chennai Super Kings player has tested positive for Covid-19, taking the count of the positive-tested members of the three-time IPL champion team to 13, sources in the UAE told IANS today. In addition to the 13, CSK fans got another shocker as all-rounder Suresh Raina pulled out of the 13th edition of the IPL citing personal reasons, the team CEO KS Viswanathan announced on CSK Twitter handle today’s morning. On Friday, 12 squad members had tested positive, but it is still not clear how many of those are players or members of the coaching or the support staff. The development has raised a big question mark against the start of the 13th edition of the IPL that is scheduled to start on September 19. Just when fans were trying to grasp the development, reports came in that one more CSK player has tested positive. “One more player tested positive. His name is not known, but I was told that one more player has tested positive. This is becoming scary here in the UAE. Other tea...

  The US will cut one-third of its military presence in Iraq, bringing the number of American troops in the country down to 3,500 from about 5,200. Citing several US officials, The Wall Street Journal said in a report that the Pentagon over the next two or three months would reduce military presence in Iraq by roughly one-third, reports Xinhua news agency. That would bring force levels roughly back to where they were in 2015 when the US was in the early phase of its campaign against the Islamic State (IS) terror group, according to the report. The report said the actual number of troops might be slightly more than 3,500, due to Pentagon counting rules that often exclude personnel on temporary assignments. Currently, there are over 5,000 US troops deployed in Iraq to support domestic forces in battles against remnants of the IS. The US and Iraq held a strategic dialogue in June, the joint statement of which said that Washington would reduce forces from the war-torn country over the...

  The one thing the pandemic has been unable to disrupt is your sweet tooth. Many of us have thrown caution to the wind, with no gyms and lockdown as a great excuse to indulge. With the festive season just around the corner, celebrations and sweets are very much on the top of your mind. In India, sweets are positively entrenched in our culture as happy celebration foods. It started with Ganesh Chaturthi, followed by Onam and the list goes on. But you can build our immunity and maintain a fit lifestyle if you limit your calories and consume wisely. Due to the limitation of outdoor activities, the body’s metabolism has gradually slowed down and hence one must make a conscious effort to maintain our calorie consumption during this season. Overindulgence in sweets can lead to a lot of health drawbacks. Excessive sugar calories can push one back on their diet/fitness regimen by adding empty calories, in the current situation maintaining one’s general fitness is of utmost priority. At t...

  Post Covid-19 , the third wave of IT outsourcing after the previous ones in the years 2000 and 2008 is expected, which would benefit Indian IT companies and tech jobs. Marquee financial services house, Goldman Sachs said in a report, “Post Covid-19, we expect a third wave of outsourcing and an increasing number of technology roles globally finding their way to India as work from anywhere becomes the new accepted norm”. “With the most efficient supply chains, we believe India IT services companies are positioned favorably to benefit from a third wave of outsourcing after previous waves in 2000 (post Y2K) and in 2008-09 (post-global Financial Crisis)”, said Goldman Sachs. Due to these tailwinds and given estimates of a further increase in Global/US GDP estimates on a sharper recovery, Goldman Sachs has increased its FY22E-23E sector revenue and earnings forecasts by up to seven per cent and now forecast 12.6 per cent US dollar revenue growth in FY22E (vs. -2.7 per cent in FY21E, an...

  As stand-off with China remains unresolved, the Indian Army gears up for formidable logistical challenges posed by harsh climate at heights exceeding 12,000 feet and temperature as extreme as minus 50 degrees Celsius. The force requires special clothing, diet, and shelter for around 35,000 extra troops deployed in Eastern Ladakh. Most of the friction points in Ladakh like Pangong Lake and Galwan Valley where the face-offs have happened are 14,000 feet above the sea level. The force will incur estimated expenditure of around Rs 400 crore for providing special winter clothing to cater to the enhanced deployment. The cost per soldier for special clothing equipment to brave the harsh winter is around Rs 1 lakh. “To meet the clothing and sheltering requirements for operations in these areas, a Special Clothing and Mountaineering Equipment (SCME) at cost of around Rs 1 lakh per set is provided to each soldier,” the officer said. The SCME set comprises snow clothing and equipment for s...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid tribute to the legendary sportsperson, Major Dhyan Chand, on the occasion of his 115th birth anniversary and said that his magic with the hockey stick can never be forgotten. Modi took to Twitter to remind that Dhyan Chand’s birthday, which is also celebrated as the National Sports Day when remarkable achievements of all those exemplary sportspersons who have represented India in various sports and made the nation proud is commemorated. “Their tenacity and determination are outstanding.” “Today, on National Sports Day, we pay tributes to Major Dhyan Chand, whose magic with the hockey stick can never be forgotten. This is also a day to laud the outstanding support given by the families, coaches, and support staff towards the success of our talented athletes.” The Prime Minister stated that the union government is making numerous efforts to popularise sports and support sporting talent in the country. “At the same time, I urge everyone to make spo...

  A weaker immune response, along with a higher rate of diabetes, obesity and hypertension among men has made them more susceptible to succumbing to the coronavirus than women, with some health experts claiming that women are “endowed by nature” with better immunity. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had recently revealed that out of all the deaths logged in the country due to the infection, 69 per cent of deaths have been reported in men and 31 per cent in women. The government’s data was concurred by the recent findings published in ‘Nature’ which suggested that women have a more robust immune response. “Female patients mounted significantly more robust T cell activation than males during infection, which was sustained in old age,” the study reasoned. T-cells are one of the major components of the immune system of the body and help it identify and destroy the invading virus. It also remembers and re-attacks if it returns. The study also found that the poor immune respons...

  A 3,200-acre industrial park would be set up in Karnataka’s Kolar after acquiring the huge land from the defunct state-run Bharat Gold Mines Ltd (BGML), a state minister said yesterday. “We are in discussion with the Centre to acquire the unused land, owned by Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) of BGML, to set up an industrial park in Kolar,” state Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar told reporters here. Shettar initiated talks with Union Minister for Mines Pralhad Joshi here as BGML is a central public sector undertaking. KGF is about 100 km east of Bengaluru. Joshi, who also holds the coal and parliamentary affairs portfolios, is the ruling BJP’s Lok Sabha member from Dharwad in the state’s northwest region. “The state mines and geology department will survey the land in six months to ensure that it no longer has natural resources (gold mines) beneath it,” said Shettar. The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) will acquire the land from the Ministry of Mines for setting ...

  It can’t get more ironical than this. Exactly at the moment Prime Minister Imran Khan was trying his best to extricate Pakistan out of the notorious list of terror supporters and promoters, he finds himself sinking deeper into his country’s well-developed terror bog. Reports came out this week that the US and Syria have nabbed 29 Pakistanis who were fighting for the dreaded Islamic State (IS) against the Syrian government. Interestingly, nine of these 29 are women. Now the US is interrogating them to find out who sent them to Syria to fight and whether they were in league with other terror organizations before joining IS. Pakistan has been on the  Financial Action Task Force’s  (FATF) grey list since 2018 for playing a pivotal role in terror financing and money laundering. If it does not show the FATF that it has cleaned up terror organizations from its soil, it will be moved into the black list which will entail sanctions from multilateral agencies. The country has bee...

  An Indian Army soldier was killed in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district today during an operation with militants, in which three unidentified terrorists were also neutralized by the security forces. Kashmir News As the security forces zeroed in on the terrorist hideout, they came under a heavy volume of fire triggering the encounter. “Three unidentified terrorists were killed in an encounter at the Zadoora area of Pulwama. Incriminating materials, including arms and ammunition, were recovered. Search going on,” police said. The cache of arms and ammunition include one AK-47 rifle and two pistols. “One soldier was critically injured and succumbed to his injuries. Joint operation in progress,” the army said. The encounter took place just a day after four terrorists were gunned down in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, which included two militants who were involved in the abduction and killing of a Kashmiri panch.